Two men arrested in Newark as part of investigation into spate of Nottinghamshire catalytic converter thefts
Two men have been arrested as part of an investigation into the spate of catalytic converter thefts after a high-speed police chase in Newark overnight, which saw a police car seriously damaged.
Officers from Nottinghamshire Police were attending a car theft on Vernon Avenue, Newark, at around 10pm last night when they spotted a vehicle believed to be linked to intelligence around a recent spate of catalytic convertor thefts.
After the red Land Rover Freelander failed to stop, police gave chase with stinger tactics deployed to try and halt the car, but it mounted the curb and continued to speed off despite this.
Further attempts to block the car in with three police cars finally ended the chase, but not before the car had collided with a police vehicle as the alleged offenders tried to avoid capture.
Two men, aged 26 and 28, were arrested at the scene and are now being questioned by officers.
No one was injured, but one police officer was taken to nearby King’s Mill Hospital with suspected whiplash.
The police car which was driven into has significant damage and minor damage has been done to street furniture in the area.
Investigating officer Sergeant Rachel Griffith said: “This was a brazen attempt by the suspects to try and evade capture.
“Although one officer has potentially suffered with whiplash, we were extremely lucky no one was has any more significant injuries. The people inside the vehicle showed absolutely no concern for officers’ safety as they attempted to get away from us.
“We will continue with our questioning of the suspects. Meanwhile if anyone has any information about this incident we would urge them to get in touch with us.”
Theft of catalytic converters, which are fitted to all cars to clean up emissions, is motivated by the precious metal they contain.
Thieves are targeting the devices for their prized precious metals; platinum, rhodium and palladium - which can command high prices on the black market.
Rhodium can be sold for up to £2,000 an ounce, twice the value of gold, while palladium and platinum trade up to 80 per cent the value of gold.
Nottinghamshire has seen a significant increase in these types of crimes since January this year and Nottinghamshire Police is now looking to kick-start an awareness raising campaign.
Anyone with any information should contact Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 986 of September 25.
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